Yandere Haruna
by 27000ants
Summary: Yandere. Haruna.
1. Chapter 1

So I'm sitting in my office, pushing pencils as usual, when I hear a knock on the door.

"Come in," I respond half-heartedly.

It's Haruna. She wears her normal cheery smile, but there is something off about her I can't put my finger on.

"So what can I do for you? Is there anything you need?"

The next thing I know a 10 inch kitchen knife materialised and pinned my left sleeve cuff to the table. I freeze.

"Darling, i...i...is there anything we need to t...t...talk about?"

her right hand grabs the knife while she pushes me against the wall, leaping over the table effortlessly

"Teitoku has been getting friendly with some of the new girls. Haruna is worried...he may not love her anymore."

Ah yes, that is my Haruna, a bit insecure, but always determined to defend what, or who, she holds dear.

I push Haruna onto the table, the sudden reversal of the Kabedon causes her grip on the knife to loosen slightly.

"Darling, you dont have to dispatch with the others, because they mean nothing to me."

"In my heart, there is only Haruna."

Just Haruna.

"And in Haruna there is only Teitoku" was the sultry response.

I move in to lock lips with Haruna, my tongue teasing hers as I feel her right hand reach behind me.

As we smootch I hear swift swipes that deftly cut my shirt off.

As the action intensifies I move my hands down to her skirt as I begin to work it off. At the same time the knife in her hand teases its way between my belt and my pants, and in one deft stroke it slices through my belt as my pants slide immediately to the ground.

Soon my hips begin to move on their own. Her hand once again moves back onto my back as I feel the tip of the blade prick me with every thrust. I do not stop, however, the pinpricks somehow mingle with the carnal pleasure to produce feeling of ecstasy, the likes of which I have never felt before in previous sessions.

When we are done she askes me for a camera. She points it at my bare back to take a picture of her masterpiece.

the kanji "Haruna's Prize" was most skilfully etched onto my back, blood oozing out of the cuts. If there were ink on the blade, no doubt it would have become a tattoo.

Haruna licks my blood off the blade, making sure nothing tarnishes the fine edge. I smile as I pull out a bottle of ink from my desk, as we begin with round 2.

I will gladly do anything for Haruna, as long as we can be happy together.

Only for Haruna.

Just for Haruna.

Just Haruna.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sitting in my office chair, upright rather than slouched against the back to not upset the cuts.

Another knock on the door.

"Come in"

It's Gotland, she looks a bit disshelved, but aren't we all? In each of her hands is a mug.

"Admiral, I was making some coffee for myself and I had some left over, do you want some?"

"Well yes, coffee would be great"

She hands me one mug. It's black coffee, not really my favourite, but a free drink is a free drink.

I take a sip. There is a weird taste to it, a bit metallic, but it leaves a sweet aftertaste.

"I used a special spice I brought with me," Gotland added, as if she could read my mind. I take another sip.

I go back to my work, taking a mouthful every few minutes. Gotland sits on the couch, watching me.

I start to feel tired. I take a bigger gulp and rest my head on my non-writing hand.

"My, admiral, doing paperwork must be tiring. Why don't I help out, after all I have been posted here for quite some time and should be able to get the hang of things."

Strange, she was only here for a couple of weeks at best.

"Yessirree, I was there to welcome you when you got posted here."

Well, there was one blue-haired one there so I guess there must be some truth in that. I put the pencil down and cross my arms on the desk to rest my head on.

"Yep, we've known each other for ages. Remember the times at the officer's academy?"

Come to think of it, there _were_ females there.

"And way before that, we promised to marry each other as kids."

"Strange though, because I love Haruna."

"Shit, _that_ much wasn't enough?"

"How much wasn't enough?" through the haze in my mind I hear a familiar voice.

"Shit..."

The mental fog thickens.

"Teitoku prefers milk tea." said the unnaturally saccharine voice.

"It's not what you think," I hear along with the unmistakable sound of a dagger being drawn.

"Haruna always thought your knife was lovely, but Haruna's is bigger."

I black out at that point.

I wake up. Haruna is sitting on the couch, thermos flask in hand. It is dark outside.

"Teitoku, it's 10pm. Haruna was worried when you didn't go looking for her for dinner, but Haruna is alright. Haruna is worried you might be hungry, so she brought you tea."

She pours some from the thermos into a clean mug on my desk. Strange, I don't usually keep a mug on my desk.

I take a sip as Haruna opens one of the cabinets in search of the tin of biscuits. The milk tea tastes funny, yet somewhat familiar. There is a weird taste to it, a bit metallic, but it leaves a sweet aftertaste. It's somewhat familiar, but much stronger.

"Haruna went out shopping today and found a new spice. How do you like it?"

"It's alright," I say as I gnaw on the biscuit, my eyelids growing heavier.

"Haruna, someone came to visit me in the office today, I think it was Gotland, wasn't it?"

"Oh, no, it was Samidare. Gee, Teitoku you must have been tired to mix them both up; Gotland isn't even posted to this base."

I slump forwards on the table. Haruna must be right. She is always right. Haruna would never lie to me...


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on Admiral, give me my Kai Ni now!"

"Look, Hiyou, I promise I will give you the necessary upgrades when they become available to me. But the problem here is that I am not getting shit from HQ. If you promise to drop this for the next few months I'll pull strings to get your equipment fine-tuning prioritized."

"I call bull on that. We all know which ships are first in line at Akashi's anyway. I've seen that bitch put everything aside to work on Haruna's gear as soon as it enters the shop."

"Hello Hiyou, Teitoku!"

"Aww shit; Haruna, you really do need to announce your presence. You fucking scared me."

"Ah, darling, just in time. I need someone to help explain to Hiyou how combat rostering affects equipment allocation and maintenance cycles."

Haruna takes a look at me, at Hiyou, and at me again.

"Don't worry Teitoku, Haruna has a better idea," she says with a cheery smile.

She grabs Hiyou and dashes out of my office. I swear I can see a look of existential horror flash across Hiyou's face.

It is a week before I see Hiyou again. She bounds into my office and leaves a manila envelope on my desk. I ask Haruna what has gotten into her.

"Haruna taught Hiyou how to use her charm to get the right kind of leverage, as well as giving her the name of someone in R&D."

I gently open the envelope:

"Technical bulletin 2025/4/20 Author: Callsign "Furry Llama"

Subject: Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou

Just Hiyou"

Along with the bulletin I find the most detailed plans for a Kai Ni I have ever seen. Only problem is that some of them have weird stains on them which smell funny.

"Hiyou will become a strong carrier with this upgrade, no?"

"Yes Teitoku, but Haruna will be alright; Haruna didn't teach Hiyou everything Haruna knows. Her knife grip is terrible."

Ah yes, that is the Haruna I know and love; smart, sweet, and always 1 step ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm sitting in the office. It's another slow day. I have to balance the ledgers and figure out why I seem to be missing one light cruiser. I have been telling High Command Gotland was never assigned to the base but they keep sending me evidence she was. Oh well, I either have to stand by my assertions or play along in a wild goose chase that will ultimately show those goons they are wrong, or I can always fake the ledgers and use the resources allocated to the missing light cruiser to fund base projects. Which brings me to another problem.

Everyone on base now seems to be carrying thermos flasks.

It started roughly when Hiyou got her Kai Ni. First Ooyodo tried to offer me a drink when I was alone in the office, and I swear her topmost button was undone, but as soon as the cap came off she was tackled to the ground by a flash of red and white and was screaming out Hiyou's name. Unfortunately some of the stuff in the thermos spilt onto the red carpet and bleached that part white.

And now I'm sitting here wondering why even I put up with High Command's bullshit.

Right...

It's because I love Haruna, and she loves me.

And now I'm wondering why she seems more busy these past few days.

Ah, she enters the office as soon as the thought entered my head.

"Darling, you have any idea where all these thermos flasks are coming from?"

"Kirishima-san made a deal with Hiyou-san."

What?

"Apparantly abyssal steel makes excellent thermos flasks, so Kirishima's fleet have been taking some of the kills to process into thermos flasks that Hiyou uses for her charm lessons. Haruna thinks that's lovely, so Haruna gave it the A-okay, as long as they agree to one condition."

"What condition?"

Haruna giggles.

"Fufufufu. They all know the condition, but some, like Ooyodo, need a good reminder once in a while."

Beautiful, kind, and supportive of her friends. I am truly blessed with a wonderful fiancee. 


	5. Chapter 5

All the paperwork from High Command on my desk say the same damn thing; that Gotland is supposed to be posted here. Meanwhile I am about to send them a copy the ledgers for the last 2 years to tell them to stuff it. Haruna did a masterful job compiling the paperwork; she stayed up all night to fix errors. I'm really tired of this shit, metaphorically and literally. I can barely keep awake.

Suddenly I hear a clanking sound coming closer. I lift my head to see Naganami running past the open door with many thermos flasks tied in a string around her waist. A few second later I hear Ashigara shouting "Imma kill you", as she ran past, thermos flask in 1 hand, 8-inch kitchen knife in the other.

Strange...

Naganami hates drum canisters and anything that looks like one. Why she would carry that many thermos flasks is beyond me.

I go back to the pencil pushing. A few minutes later I hear a knock on the door. I barely look up. It's someone from logistics. He holds a report.

"Excuse me Admiral, I have to lodge a formal complaint."

"Yes?"

"The girls are hanging around the logistics department offices too much. They ask for stuff we don't have, resources that are impossible to obtain in the quantities they want, and yet, those in charge seem okay with it. Yonehara, Hanse, Young, all the officers seem to be in some kind of trance, almost as if they were drugged..."

He pauses as he does a double take, looking me straight in my own eyes.

"SHIT, not you too! I...I...I'm...I'm sorry sir, but I will have to escalate this further," he stammers as he starts to back off slowly.

"Ensign, if you need help, Teitoku is willing to listen and address your concerns," said a saccharine voice.

There may have been a muffled scream and a weird squelching sound, but honestly I was too tired to fully pay attention. It was bad manners for me to not look up fully.

As I was leaving the office that evening I noticed the bleached spot on the carpet was a nice bright shade of red once again. The carpet was still quite wet and there was a weird metallic smell. I guess the industrial strength stain-remover I ordered finally came in, and Haruna must have cleaned it up when I dozed off.

Thanks darling.


	6. Chapter 6

High Command wrote back. They claimed all the evidence I submitted is doctored (admittedly well at that). I cannot believe this. Haruna burnt the midnight oil compiling those documents and I read through them myself before signing off. In any case they are sending an attache down for an inspection.

Haruna, Hiyou, and Kirishima are having tea in my office. They are sitting on the sofa, chatting, sipping tea from teacups, thermos flasks neatly lines up on the table in front of them.

"Say Kirishima, these thermos flasks you have been supplying me are pretty good. All the girls I sold them to say they have been working wonders for them."

"Indeed. It took a while to get the metal composition right, especially since abyssal steel quality varies quite a bit."

"I particularly like how the flasks have to be replaced every few weeks to keep the effects up."

"Keeps them coming back, and keeps the three of us in control of it all, no?" Kirishima responded with a sly smirk.

"That reminds me. I have no idea who you are chasing. A lot of the girls are trying to curry favour with logistics; R&D is another popular choice, especially with yours truly, and we know that more than one have tried to make their moves on the Admiral himself."

"Teitoku's love for Haruna cannot be swayed by a hot drink from some harlot."

All of them laugh.

"Yeah Hiyou, the thing is, a lot of these girls only chase men for frivolous things. More supplies; better supplies; cool equipment; advanced remodels, no offense."

"None taken."

"I chase power and authority. With these I can get all my heart desires without having to deal with bureaucracy, because I will BECOME the bureaucracy. That's why I agreed to supply you lot with the metals needed to make the flasks. Those flasks are the source of your influence, and I am the source of those flasks."

I'm sitting on my desk hearing it all. It's funny, how complex politics is nowadays. Girls using love as a means to an end feels wrong; I believe in love for love's sake. But I guess I am one of the last raised with the values of the old guard. Times are changing, and I guess I need to come to accept the fact. I put my paperwork down and join the girls.

We have a friendly chat over tea. Strangely none of it is being poured from the thermos flasks; it all comes from a traditional teapot. I guess those thermos flasks must all be empty. I decide to air some of my grievances with High Command. Haruna assures me that this is a paperwork issue that will get sorted out soon. Kirishima and Hiyou just exchange glances. In the end I share the announcement of an inspection. He will be arriving by ship in a few weeks and the exact route the transport will take is announced. It passes through the sectors Kirishima's detachment patrols.

Again, Kirishima and Hiyou exchange glances.

"Hai, Teitoku, Haruna is sure Kirishima and her friends will make sure attache-kun arrives A-Okay."

"Yes Haruna-san. Leave it to me to do what is needed," Kirishima affirms, adjusting her glasses.

It is rare to see this level of professionalism in people these days.


	7. Chapter 7

"Motherfucker! Can y'all fuckers fucking keep the fucking door fucking closed when you're fucking fucking?" Ooyodo shouts as she slams the office door shut.

I don't see what is wrong. Ashigara and that supply officer do that all the time, this Public Display of Affection thing. They get all intimate in the halls, with their kissing and their handholding - unprotected and without gloves at that. So if they can express their love for each other, why can't Haruna and I do the same?

We keep going at it for quite some time. When we are done the office is a mess. There are papers strewn everywhere and quite a few are ruined by fluids and blood.

So I'm rearranging the documents to see which need to be photostatted and which just have to be wiped clean while Haruna is busy polishing her knife while sitting on my desk. I pause to observe her. She holds the handle in her right hand to polish the edge with a rouge polishing cloth with her left. She studies the blade, her vision running across the fine edge as she polishes it with fine, deliberate, strokes.

I see where she gets her practice from.

Her brows are furrowed in concentration as her eyes narrow in a squint and her lips purse in a pout. She looks cute, in a vaguely frustrated sort of way. I recognise that look. She does this sometimes when she is looking through the paperwork and balancing the ledgers. But this has a feeling of intensity that I have never experienced before; it is far detached from her normal refined, elegant, persona. It is as if she chose to stop putting up a facade when she is around someone she trusts.

Someone she truly loves.

And I am deeply honoured to be the one she chose to be comfortable with, to be the one she loves with all her heart.

The sun is setting. Its light now shines straight into the office. Haruna raises the blade into the light, making minute movements to catch the sun's reflection on the edge, finishing up the last adjustments and corrections to the buffing. I keep staring, unable to ignore this display of workmanship and dedication that is elegant in its own way. She finally notices me looking at her. Her eyes widen for a split second as she is jolted out of her zone, but her mouth quickly widens in a smirk as her eyelids flutter sensually.

I also recognise that look.

It is an invitation.

She wraps the 10-inch blade in the polishing cloth before gently setting it on the desk as she spreads her legs. I move in, one hand on her waist, the other reaching for the back of her neck. I pull her in close as our lips lock.

I guess we will be late to dinner again.

Also I think I will need more bandages.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay Kirishima, what the fuck? You are saying that about an hour after escort duties were handed off to you and the previous escort party broke off to return to their base, the transport ship exploded?"

"Yes, Admiral. It was very sudden. Shikinami and Uranami were a kilometer ahead on ASW duty. Ayanami was directly abreast of the ship, and I was about 500 meters behind. There was nothing on my radar. The two reported nothing on sonar, and Ayanami said there were no contacts immediately before the explosion."

Hmm...Ayanami was on the same side of the ship as the initial explosion, and the area was definitely mine-free.

"All things point to a new abyssal weapon, Admiral, one that can't be detected by sonar or radar."

"Indeed. I will report this in the AAR and see I can get Akashi more funds to look into this."

"That would be wise. If you excuse me, I will take my leave."

Kirishima leaves my office with a sly grin on her mouth. I'm also smirking. We both know this is a formality. Haruna roped me into the plan a week ago.

~0~

"Ah...yes...darling...this feels so bad and so good," I throw my head back into my pillow, exclaiming,

"Teitoku, stop moving around so much. Haruna can do many things but even this is needs focus," she pauses the licking to reply, slightly annoyed.

"Aight. Sorry," I apologize as I shove my face back into her crotch. Strange, though, Haruna's handiwork is often flawless even in more vigorous action.

I feel every prick of the blade, each accompanied by a lick. The sensation is euphoric, admittedly it is something of an acquired taste. But what does taste great is what is in front of me. I reciprocate each lick, although I am not in a position to tatoo anything back - the docks remove these superficial wounds and markings anyway.

It is a few minutes more of this bliss before she announces she was finished. She demounts me to let me admire her handiwork. On my erect staff are 4 names: Ikuno, Monika, Sanja, and Shinji - the names of children we always wanted but knew we could never have.

I'm lost in my thoughts for a moment. I think of the cruelty of this world, denying us the one thing every couple wants, denying us of the ability to fulfill the biological imperative. I'm in anguish. I look at Haruna. She is smiling, though sadly. I see something in her eyes. Is it a shattered hope? A memory repressed? A monster in the subconscious fighting to break free? Indeed, her hands are trembling.

I see why she needed help just now.

I reach out to hold her free hand. Sitting up, I draw in for a kiss. She does too, eyes fluttering shut. It is quite an exchange. I taste the inside of her lips, her teeth, her cheek, as she does the same to me. She set the knife down, using that hand to caress my chest, letting her fingers linger over my heart, where a tatoo of her name in a heart now stands.

Haruna breaks off first.

"Before we forget, Haruna needs to make sure Teitoku's new decoration doesn't get infected. It would be sad if your friend needs to be removed," She finished with a sultry giggle.

Haruna once again starts to caress my rod with her tongue. Smart girl, using saliva to disinfect the wound. It gets more vigorous, and soon I reach cloud 9, unloading my love.

"Speaking of friends that need removal, Haruna has an idea about attache-kun's trip."

~0~

Haruna laid the whole plan out there and then. She said all I needed to do was green-light it, which, of course, I did. High Command can stuff it. It's a perfect plan really, using the death of one of their lackeys to play down the paperwork dispute. After all, they did just send one of their own to his death just to investigate a non-issue.

And if it escalates, we can keep sinking them.


	9. Chapter 9

Jam, butter, scones...I looked through the packing list one more time. Haruna and I have been planning this day off for a while now, and we are looking forwards to a relaxing picnic lunch in the park. The weather today is great and the forecast looks favourable. I am closing the lid of the basket just as the officer door slams open.

Understandably I am not happy. Ooyodo is shouting something; in her hands is paperwork, and she's waving something printed on red paper. I guess it's an important bulletin, but as to why they sent something so urgent it got Ooyodo flustered through snail mail instead of fax I have no idea. Air courier is a possibility, but there were no transport flights this past week, both scheduled or unexpected.

"Say what you need to quickly. Both you and me know that the document you are trying to bring to my attention on my day off is not as urgent as you are making it to be. It must be important in some way, but not time-sensitive enough to have appeared on my desk earlier today. Because it is my day off and I made that clear to everyone about a week ago, surely, this can wait until after breakfast tomorrow, or at least until after I come back," I explain calmly. Ooyodo, cut-off mid sentence, shoots a silent glare at me.

"Tongue-tied? I will not hold anything against you, but please, knock before you enter next time, and try to save your blood pressure for the things that are actually worth getting flustered over," I add on nonchalantly.

Huffing out of my office in a fit, Ooyodo flings the stack of papers onto the office floor. I pick up the red one. It appears to be last week's bulletin reprinted on red paper. There is nothing of note in the rest of the documents. I guess the rumours of her recent breakup were true, and that she is on edge. I close the basket lid and arrange my desk before heading to the battleship bunks to pick up my darling.

A relaxing day in the park was really what we needed. It was nice, being away from the base in body and spirit. Lunch was great, and we were able to swing by the local zoo in the afternoon. It's amazing how they were able to keep things running for the last 12 years, between the rationing and the inability to replace animals that died of old age. Most of the African animals are still alive, although the once majestic pride of lions is now reduced to its elderly patriarch. His fur is patchy and his mane looks thinner than the last time I saw him. Yet he was still proudly strutting around his dominion, a metaphor for the indomitable human spirit standing steadfastly in the face of adversity. Before we left we said a prayer for this old fighter, hoping that he would still be around to see the end of the war.

Returning to the base at dusk, we are greeted to the sight of a C-130 in the distance at low altitude making its final approach. This is an interesting development - no arrivals are scheduled for the next few weeks. Maybe Ooyodo was trying to tell me of this, but she completely flew off the handle because of her breakup. Anyway, the both of us were soon back in my office to prepare for the expected shitstorm.

Unexpectedly there was no shitstorm. Kirishima entered the office, accompanied by a fellow fleet admiral. He looks vaguely familiar, and I think he was from the same cohort at the academy, but I don't know his name. Kirishima introduces him as a man we can trust, someone who will be our informant in High Command. If he gets the appointment though. He has been doing this tour around the front-line bases to try to garner support and curry favour among the combat formations.

Now this is something interesting. This is the first time I have actually talked to any of the candidates in the running to serve a term in High Command. The previous 2 election cycles had some piece of paper with 4 names, all of which are admirals from rear echelon positions, none of which I knew personally. I decide to have a chat with the guy, with the four of us sitting down on the sofa in my office. I came to learn he was also assigned to a supply base roughly when I was posted here and was in charge of convoy lane security, and that some of his shipgirls have been working with Kirishima in the past. I guess those two do indeed have some history. As the conversation drags on Haruna decides to lay out some biscuits from my tin in my cabinet as Kirishima retrieves the tea set, pouring tea from her thermos flask into the cups.

At the end of our evening it is time for him to make a move. I invite him to use one of the spare bunks for him and his transport crew to spend the night. He graciously accepts. I trust Kirishima with escorting him to his quarters and showing him around. Before he leaves, he gives me a sealed manila envelope, with the instruction to open it when the signal is given, a signal which is to be disguised in plaintext. His advice is to read vertically.


	10. Chapter 10

"I am only 27 years old. I love Haruna so much, I have all the tattoos and scars she gave me. I pray to Haruna every night before I go to bed, thanking her for the life I've been given. "Haruna is love", I say, "Haruna is life". Ooyodo hears me and calls me a man-slut. I knew she is just jealous for my devotion to Haruna. I call her a wench. She slaps me and sends me to go to sleep. I'm crying now and my face hurts. I lay in bed and it's really cold. A warmth is moving towards me. I feel something touch me. It's Haruna. I'm so happy. She whispers in my ear, "Haruna wa daijobu dess". She grabs me with her powerful battlecruiser hands, and puts me on my hands and knees. I spread my ass-cheeks for Haruna. She stabs my butthole. It hurts so much, but I do it for Haruna. I can feel my sphincter tearing as my eyes start to water. I push against her knife. I want to please Haruna. She roars a mighty roar, as she fills my butt with her daggers. Ooyodo walks in. Haruna looks her straight in the eye, and says, "Diejobu". Haruna leaves through my window. Haruna is love. Haruna is life."

I jolt awake. That was some weird dream. The clock on my bedside drawer says 3 a.m.. I sit up in my bed, looking down to my right where Haruna lies soundly asleep, bare back facing me. I run my hand along her shoulder blade, down her spine, savouring the feeling of her skin. I move my hand up for another pass, when it occurred to me.

She wasn't there when I went to bed.

She does have the keys to my quarters though, so maybe she came in after I turned in. Joining me after I fell asleep is a first though. I guess recent events have put us all on edge. The escalation of infighting between the front-line officers and High Command; the new guy canvassing the combat echelons for support; the manila envelope I keep in my personal safe with my most precious possessions; all of this and more.

Haruna rolls over, her right arm coming gently to rest on the pillow where my cheek would be at. Asleep, she paws at the pillow, her face tightening into a slight scowl when the first few squeezes do not register anything. An annoyed whimper follows. I knew what I needed to do. I lie back down, lifting her fingers to my cheek with my left hand, finding a gap between the sheets and her armpit to squeeze my right arm into. With that I pull her in close. The whimpering stops, and the furrows between her brows vanish.

It must have been another of her nightmares. She has always had them, and she did say they have been getting worse, especially after the liberation of the Philippines 2 years ago. I can't blame her...

I soon doze off. Hazy snapshots of my past flash in my dreams. My enrollment in the academy; the news of my parents noble sacrifice in the attempts to stem the abyssal hordes; being assigned to the Shipgirl corp; my flight to this base; that smile, the smile that started it all.

That damn smile.

A smile I will move heaven and earth to protect.

I wake up again at the break of dawn. I sit up in my bed, looking down to my right at the bare mattress.

Strange, I thought Haruna was here. There isn't even a trace of someone else having been here.

I guess recent events really have put us all on edge.

A gentle breeze blows though the open window.


	11. Chapter 11

On my desk is a report. I read it. It seems that a transport flight to my base carrying another attache from high command blew up. Again. The crew seemed to have ejected safely, but the explosion supposedly happened right beneath where he sat. I guess I need to ask those on combat air patrol on that day the usual questions. I put a memo in my notes to look for Akagi later.

Sometimes I wonder at what point those maggots in High Command would simply stuff it. An administrative error is clearly not worth the lives of 4 liason officers. Maybe after this one they would finally lay the matter to rest.

Then again I thought the same thing after the third died.

Things need to change. And hopefully things will. That fleet admiral won the election, beating out the next chair-warmer by a mere 1 vote. Heh. Maybe if they hadn't sent their lackeys to die they would have had enough votes to tip the scales.

In any case, this is the beginning of a new age; he is the first of the post-shipgirl admirals to be elected to this position. I am happy that high command is seeing new blood, and hopefully they could come to understand things the way we frontliners see it.

The girls in my office at the time took the news with great delight when I read the report aloud. Hiyou was visibly elated, while Kirishima's excitement was barely masked by her calm demeanour. Haruna was afine, as she always is. The only one who reacted adversely was Ooyodo, who was overcome by a fit of psychosis. Haruna shot a glance at Kirishima which she returned with a nod. With a snap of her fingers Kirishima called in Shikinami and Ayanami, who escorted, no, manhandled Ooyodo out of the office. It's sad, really, seeing how her emotional state disintegrated that quickly. I would have given her more time off, but the last time I did, she just broke into my office drunk in her nightgown and collapsed on the couch. It took a few rounds of carpet washing to get rid of the smell of vomit.

Maybe it is things like this that High Command does not see. They treat the girls as statistics and chess pieces that move around a board, but seem to forget that they have their own goals and feelings. Up until now no one has gotten a concrete answer as to what exactly are shipgirls, and I suspect the answer will only surface long after the war. Based on my 5 years working with them, I have only scratched the suraface of their true nature, but I know for a fact there is enough evidence to show that the girls are more human than most people. Actually, thanks to them, Haruna particularly, I have discovered the humanity in me that has been supresssed by my upringing.

The war will end one day. And until then, we will have to rely on each other. Hopefully the ally we gained in High Command will assist us when the time comes. 


	12. Chapter 12

Haruna has a visitor today, a pen pal that she has had for about a year now who finally had the opportunity to visit. She showed up right outside my office without a visitor pass this morning, which is odd in itself, but Haruna assured me it was just fine. To call it out now would be hypocritical, being complicit in the deaths of some of High Command's goons (although it may be debatable if those cretins count as people), so I let this slide. That girl, wearing a purple shirt and skirt, introduced herself as Yuno, her pink hair being similar to Yura's, albeit tied in a pair of twintails instead of one single monstrous ponytail. I guess Yura is her personal hero and she really wants to emulate her, but I won't judge.

I asked her where she's from, and from her series of non-answers I guess she's not really willing to admit, which would probably make her one of the countless billions displaced by the war. I chose not to push further - it would be impolite to antagonize a guest. In any case, we made chit-chat over tea. It is nice seeing Haruna getting along well with civilian girls. I don't know what kind of post-war future is awaiting the girls, but if integration into proper society is on the table, I'm all for it.

The two were comparing their knives as the second batch of tea was being steeped. Haruna was showing off her favourite, a custom-made 10-inch Abyssal Steel Gyuto with a cylindrical wooden handle, one that we are both very intimate with, while Yuno took out her 8-inch Santoku, showing off her agility and its sharpness by tossing a handful of tea leaves into the air and slicing each of them in half, much to my amazement. Haruna, on the other hand, decided to one-up this display. She tied one of her spare ribbons around her head as a blindfold and proceeded to do the same thing.

"You used your radar," Yuno teased.

"Says the god," was Haruna's cheeky response.

The two of them gel well together. I hope they will be able to stay in touch until the war's end.

After some more chatting, Yuno stood up again. She challenged Haruna to a duel. I had to interject.

"Now, as much as you have shown how good you are, I don't believe it is fair for a normal human to duel a shipgirl. Plus, I don't want you two breaking stuff in my office."

"Don't worry sir, we'll be careful. Plus, if anything, I will be the one showing restraint," assured Yuno.

Well, if our guest insists, we have to oblige. Haruna stood up and moved to position. They bowed, and with the formalities out of the way, they entered their opening stances. Yuno adopted a forward stance, with both hands gripping her knife in a low guard. Haruna's forward stance had her hold her left arm forwards with 2 fingers extended, with her right arm holding the knife in an overhead guard, much like Obi Wan from the movies.

Yuno was the first to charge. From then the duel was a blur of purple and white with the clinking of blades and the primal screams of both girls. The action was so intense that describing it in any way would fail to capture even 1 percent of the awesomeness. Amazingly both girls stuck to their promise to be careful, keeping all the action within a 2 by 2 meter square in the middle of the office.

Suddenly, all motion stopped. Haruna's left hand was holding Yuno's knife in a reverse grip, stopped mid-slash right on Yuno's neck. Meanwhile Yuno had Haruna's knife pointed right on her chest, ready to pierce her heart. It was a draw. For a few tense moments they were frozen, teeth gritted, eyes seething with rage. As is a certain switch was flicked their expressions softened and they both started giggling. They returned to their starting positions, bowed once, and returned to the couch, returning their knives to their respective owners on the way.

"You weren't holding back, were you, Yuno-san?" asked Haruna.

"Not in the slightest. In fact, I was struggling when you were able to get my knife from me. I think I was only able to draw when I slid your own knife from out of your hand. I personally dislike uncontoured handles for that reason."

"Yes, Haruna agrees that cylindrical handles have that problem, but Haruna prefers to be able to change to and from reverse grip and hold it for a long time. Talking about handles, you may want to consider using a smaller handle for your knife. Haruna was only able to take it from you because you tired out from holding it for so long," Haruna said as she reached out to Yuno to hold her hands to hers, showing the difference in size.

Both giggled. It's nice to see them get along.

After tea they both went to the courtyard. Both of them were replicating the stances they used in their duel and giving feedback to each other on how to perfect their forms. They even taught me a few things! Over the afternoon Yuno showed Haruna how to throw axes, and Haruna was demonstrating the properties of different grades of abyssal steel.

Yuno had dinner with us. She said she liked the food in this world. Poor thing, I don't think she is getting enough to eat out there, almost as if being in the base is entering another world to her. The fucking war needs to end.

Soon it was time for Yuno to go. As a parting gift, Yuno gave Haruna a signed copy of Faylan's Blood Teller which included Karoke tracks for both Japanese and English, and Haruna presented her with a full set of abyssal steel kitchenware. With one final embrace, Yuno left my office. I noticed something on my table. It seems Yuno left her knife behind. I dashed out of my office, but was greeted by a completely empty corridor. Strange, she only had a 5 meter lead on me. I turned around just to see a hand reaching out from a dark miasma. It grabbed the knife, and disappeared along with the miasma. I looked at Haruna, puzzled. Haruna smiled back. That was some weird shit, but shipgirls are, in concept and execution, also pretty weird shit, so I guess to call it out now would be hypocritical.

Haruna playfully waved the DVD case at me. I guess we will be using our mouths a lot later. And then even more after that.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorties have slowed down recently. I guess enemy presence in this region is dying down. Understandable, since the extermination campaign in the region is going well. Basically there is nothing much to do outside reconnaissance expeditions and security patrols, until we get plans for the next big operation. I personally think it's going to be a raid on Hawaii, while rumors from my contact in High Command says that feasibility simulations are being run on Arctic and Antarctic operations.

Why the fuck they want us to purge icy shitholes of Abyssals, I do no know. It can't be for oil, because we are currently doing fine - The Arabian oilfields have been untouched so far, Brunei has been secure for the last 3 years, and the recently reconquered North Sea Oilfields are beginning to produce that delicious black gold once again. I don't think it is for securing the sea lanes because the expansion of the Trans-Siberian Railroad over the last few years made rail the most logical way to move material from Europe to Asia.

In any case, arctic operations would need the Bering Strait to be clear, and by extension the Aleutians would need to be secured to act as a forward operating base. Following that the whole frozen wasteland from the Kamchatka Peninsula to Murmansk would need to be secured. Outside a known hotspot in the Kara sea, the Abyssals also don't really seem to want the frigid north either.

Antarctic operations would be even more pointless. With Australia reconquered recently, fleet support from Sydney is possible, but even after Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope are secure, there is no point in sending shipping through from Europe if they have to run the fucking Atlantic.

Aye, I am definitely overthinking things. For all I know this is going to be something really stupid, like another show of force, where we make a big hoo-haa about shelling some isolated island in the middle of nowhere, just to show the public we are doing something. There is definitely something being planned, and maybe if High Command focuses on future operations and stops sending some dipshit down here every few weeks to ask for the missing light cruiser, we could all bring an end to the fucking war earlier.

In any case, until the plans are solidified, it is going to be the same routine everyday, the burden of command shouldered by Haruna and me.


End file.
